


The Love That Came Without Warning

by idreamofignoct



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Healing Old Wounds, Implied/Referenced Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, M/M, Post Overwatch recall, family life
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-07
Updated: 2018-10-07
Packaged: 2019-07-27 20:55:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,714
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16227158
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/idreamofignoct/pseuds/idreamofignoct
Summary: Jack and Gabe walk the rocky path to reconciliation and raise a Reap Bean as their own.





	The Love That Came Without Warning

**Author's Note:**

> Based on an adorable pic drawn by bester husbando. Yes, I am still very much in love with this pairing. Let these two old men rest pls

_**~Chasm~** _

Overwatch changed the world. It changed Jack Morrison and Gabriel Reyes, too, and not necessarily for the better. Bad blood ensured the chasm between them could never be bridged. But bonds forged in battle and beyond could not be forgotten. 

Neither acknowledged this. When accusations and bullets flew, it was just easier to perceive the other as an object of hatred. More than once, however, Ana Amari noticed Jack’s hesitation to land a direct hit on Reaper. Such observations sent him straight to the bottle. Likewise Sombra, who shadowed Gabriel whether he liked it or not, commented on Gabriel’s reluctance to kill Soldier 76. This sent Gabriel into a rage that, at its heart, was a cry of anguish. And when the dust settled after the final battle between the recalled Overwatch team and Talon, Jack Morrison and Gabriel Reyes were left with what they started with: each other.

The succeeding months founds their paths crossing often. Brandished weapons turned to tense silences, then begrudging acceptance. Jack couldn’t pinpoint the day he looked at the black-robed figure with the white mask and saw not Reaper, but Reyes. Gabriel. _Gabe._ Nor could Gabriel determine when his perception of the other man as a tired, old soldier stuck in the past changed. Only that one day, he realized Soldier 76 was no longer a walking representation of a time Gabriel loathed, but Jack. _His_ Jack. 

Neither remembered just who said “I’m sorry,” first. In the end, it didn’t matter. The apology was a start.

Jack remained in the Necropolis for lack of somewhere else to go. Gabriel had hideouts scattered throughout the world, yet he spent most of his time in the ruins. Jack usually grumbled about being interrupted whenever Gabriel dropped by, but he never sent him away, either. Three months passed before they stopped wearing their masks. 

The years had exacerbated Gabriel’s condition. There were times he appeared almost ghost-like as he skulked about corners. His subsequent death and resurrection stole the warm color of his skin and turned his eyes red. But the effects weren’t just physical. Gabriel was harder now, the cavalier attitude now taking form in gallows humor and drawling, sometimes biting, remarks, and an even quicker tendency to shut down at one wrong word. Experiences left Jack hardened, too. Stubborn. Impatient. More insensitive than he’d been in any time in his life. This abrupt lack of empathy led to an offhand comment about Gabriel’s struggles being self-inflicted, resulting in a sharp retort about Jack’s own life choices and a week-long disappearance. 

“We’ve both changed too much,” Jack said to Ana a few nights after Gabriel vanished. He stared past her, unable to even recall the easy days of comradery between him and Gabriel. “What’s the point of trying to go back?”

Ana bent a knowing look his way. “Because you both need stability, Jack. I’ve watched you fall apart more and more since everything ended. It’s time to pick up the pieces.” 

Jack mulled over this for another few days. By the time he decided Ana was right, she smiled at him in such a way, he felt foolish for not having recognized her wisdom earlier. 

When Gabriel finally returned, guns drawn and hostility in every line of him, Jack did not meet his rancor with a raised weapon. Instead, he dropped a duffle bag filled with biotic fields at Gabriel’s feet. Gabriel stared at it, as if expecting it to explode.

Jack settled back onto his cot and resumed cleaning his pulse rifle. “Take it,” he said, his attention fixed on his weapon. “Ana tweaked the biotic fields. They last longer.” 

Gabriel, who had spent much of the time apart debating on whether he should just shoot Jack after all, found himself checked at Jack’s reaction. Rather than comment on it, he holstered his shotguns, snatched the bag and took his leave. Once back at his hideout, he threw the bag across the room and left to take his anger out on some hapless thugs. While their deaths satisfied his nanites, the pain seemed more intense. Finally, unable to resist the promise of relief inside the duffle bag, Gabriel pulled three fields free. Sat within the circle, bathed in the warm, healing glow while thoughts of Jack flitted through his mind. 

“Idiot,” he muttered, and the word could have been for Jack or himself. 

The fields worked better than expected. The reprieve from constant pain helped his overall mood, too. For the first time in almost a decade, Gabriel felt stirrings of his old self emerge from deep within. The walls he spent years building around his heart started to crumble. Then again, Jack had always had that effect on him despite everything Gabriel did to deny it. 

Another month passed. Gabriel became increasingly aware of how little Jack cared for himself. So one day, Gabriel showed up with a bag of burritos and frankly ordered Jack to eat.

Jack bristled. Gabriel stared him down. But Jack ate them without complaint. From then on, Gabriel brought food every time he dropped by. 

“You my personal chef now?” Jack groused as he finished off a taco. 

“Until you stop looking like you live off rations,” Gabriel retorted. He leaned against the wall near Jack’s ‘bedroom’ setup. There were more bottles than empty rations on the floor. Jack’s alcoholism was worse than he thought. 

“Rations have everything my body needs,” Jack replied stiffly, taking a bite of another taco. Lettuce and cheese spilled onto the plate on his lap.

Gabriel gave a snort. “Right. Except you always hated them.”

Jack glowered at Gabriel for that. But one evening, Jack absently cracked one of his rations open. He took a single bite, scowled, and spit it out. Gabriel was right. And he had the nerve to smirk when Jack told him so.

Ana’s announcement she was joining the new Overwatch, combined with word the Egyptian government planned on preserving the Necropolis site, prompted Jack to find other living quarters. He had no intention of rejoining Overwatch. He’d done his part. Jack wished to quietly disappear, even if it meant squatting in another derelict place.

Gabriel had other ideas.

“I’m taking you to one of my places outside Cairo,” he said upon hearing Jack’s decision. “When was the last time you slept in a bed, anyway? Or showered?”

Jack, while not exactly thrilled with Gabriel dictating where he’d sleep, grunted an agreement. He still needed a place to bed down while he searched for new quarters. 

The flat was in a discreet location, most likely an old base of operations during Gabriel’s Blackwatch days. That it looked as if it hadn’t been used in years didn’t bother Jack. Deciding to start his search tomorrow, he stretched out on the bed and, much to his surprise, passed out. Hard. 

When he woke some time later, sheets tangled around him and a puddle of drool on his pillow, Gabriel was there with a big breakfast tray and coffee. He lifted a brow at Jack’s instinctive reaction to pull his pistol from beneath the pillow.

“Shit,” Jack rasped, slipping the gun beneath his pillow again. “How long were you standing there?”

“Long enough to see I was right about the last time you slept in a bed. You’ve been out for two days.” 

Jack eased onto his elbows. “Why didn’t you wake me?” 

“That should be obvious.” Gabriel set the tray by Jack’s feet. The scent of bacon, eggs, and waffles roused Jack’s hunger. He immediately dug in.

Gabriel watched him and sighed. “You’re hopeless,” he said as Jack wolfed down his food. “I don’t know why I bother.”

Jack gave a casual shrug. “I always assumed it was boredom,” he replied around a mouthful of eggs. 

Gabriel grunted. “Right. I brought you this.” He tossed a shaving kit onto the bed.

Jack eyed it. “You gonna shave me, too?”

“I should. You’re terrible at keeping up with it. Your face is like sandpaper.”

Jack paused. Gabriel did, too. It was the first time either of them alluded to their physical relationship. Gabriel often complained about how Jack gave him razor burn all during the Crisis. Jack also remembered the way Gabriel stroked Jack’s clean-shaven face, his expression one of soft astonishment. 

Jack took a steadying swig of coffee. “Straight razor?” he asked, his voice even despite the path his thoughts took.

“Of course.”

“Any good with it, or are _you_ still hopeless?”

At this, Gabriel sent Jack a challenging look. “You want to find out?” 

Then, to both their surprise, Jack cracked a small smile. “You know what? I do.”

And so the shaving ritual was born. 

Every night, after Jack emerged from the shower, his skin still flush from the hot water, Gabriel sat him down on the bed and shaved him. The initial gruff complaints about the state of Jack’s skin and orders of, “Hold still,” from Gabriel eventually drifted to silence. Jack dutifully kept still, but he couldn’t do the same with his thoughts. Having Gabriel’s hands on him again, even in this capacity, reintroduced him to feelings he thought he buried forever. Complicating things was how the distinct lack of touch, specifically Gabriel’s, left him as sensitive as he was starved for it. 

Gabriel’s reaction to the intimacy could not be ignored, either. The planes of Jack’s face were familiar, missed. Those times Gabriel smoothed the aftershave on Jack’s face, and his eyes closed as contentment softened the hard lines of his features, created a deep yearning in his heart. Gabriel didn’t realize when his focus on rubbing the aftershave in turned to slow, almost hesitant caresses. Maybe it was the time Jack opened his eyes, bright blue eyes Gabriel had loved and loathed in equal measure and reached for him. 

Jack glided hesitant fingers down the side of Gabriel’s face. “Gabe.” He said it softly, roughened voice echoing of a need Gabriel could not ignore. No more than the riot of feelings at hearing Jack address him by his nickname, the electricity that light contact generated. The realization of how much Gabriel needed to feel Jack’s touch again.

 _Dammit,_ Gabe thought, but he was already leaning forward. The smell of aftershave and soap on Jack’s skin filled Gabe’s senses. They exchanged a few small, hesitant kisses, each seeming to give the other the option to pull away. Neither did. Instead, Jack tilted his head, and soon their lips fused together. His mouth still fit over Gabe’s perfectly. _Always so damn perfect,_ Gabe thought, slipping his fingers through Jack’s hair, thin and silver now, where once it had been thick and golden.

For Jack, this kiss was like a shock to his system. He understood now why he’d never been able to pull the trigger. Oh, he’d tried convincing himself to do it all those times, called himself a coward and a sentimental fool with thoughts of _That’s not Gabriel behind that mask. Gabriel’s dead._ But he was wrong. Gabe was very much alive. No one but Gabe could draw forth such longing from the place Jack had buried it. The man was in his blood, in his soul. There was no getting away from it.

Gabe took to staying with Jack more at night. Neither commented on the arrangement. They simply accepted it. The two were learning how to communicate without words again. 

Only in sleep did the depth of their need come to light. Jack woke with Gabe wrapped around him more than once. He had missed it so much, he often lingered in bed just to keep feeling the warmth of another body pressed to his. 

But Gabe didn’t just hold onto Jack for himself. Jack tossed and turned at night, moaning at ghosts of the past. Hearing those frightened cries pulled something loose in Gabe’s soul. Damn Overwatch for breaking Jack like this. Damn himself for not seeing how deep the cracks went. Jack, so bright and full of hope. Upstanding. Righteous. Just. Idealistic. The very qualities Gabe often teased Jack over were in fact part of what attracted him the most. His Sunshine…

In time, these embraces led to more kisses, followed by gradual touches, before years’ worth of emotional repression ultimately took over. Hearing Gabe’s moans while Jack moved inside him, and the way Gabe clutched him close and whispered his name while thrusting into Jack, made all the long, lonely nights worth it. This reunion of body and soul was a pure sensory experience that, at its conclusion, left both breathless and gazing at one another in soft awe. 

But then Gabe left shortly after and did not come back for days. Days where Jack took a hard look at himself and wondered if any of this was possible again. Worth _trying_ again. 

Jack was seated on the edge of the bed, a half-empty bottle of whiskey at his feet when Gabe drifted into the room almost five days later. Jack lifted dead eyes to Gabe’s face. “Maybe we should stop this. We both know what we’re capable of.” His words were flat, lifeless.

Though Gabe’s quick departure was based on exactly that, he’d spent the time apart remembering the way Jack felt and tasted and sounded in his arms. Realized that despite it all, he still wanted Jack in his life. The sight of Jack’s slumped shoulders was not a good sign he felt the same. 

Gabe stood over Jack. “Is that what you really want?” He spoke quietly, bracing for a refusal, hoping that, for once, he was wrong about Jack’s intent. 

Jack bowed his head. Said nothing.

A pause. “Jack. Look at me.”

Jack wanted to refuse. Deny the memory of being in Gabe’s arms again. Jack didn’t deserve happiness. He’d done too much. For all the times Jack couldn’t pull the trigger, he wished Gabe could. Almost as much as he wished Gabe would pull him into his arms and just hold him. 

Slowly, Jack lifted his gaze to Gabe’s. What he saw shook him to his core. There was no judgment in Gabe’s eyes, no accusation. Just…patience. A spark of hope. 

Jack swallowed to ease the tightness in his throat. The numb he’d felt since Gabe left all those nights ago lifted, leaving him feeling as exposed as a raw wound. “I want this,” he said in raspy tones. “I want this so much. But I…”

Gabe knelt in front of Jack. Held him in place by the sheer power of his gaze alone. “Let’s see if this works out. And if it doesn’t, we both walk away.”

Jack searched Gabe’s red eyes, which still flashed with emotion. “All right,” Jack murmured. “No promises.”

Gabe bowed his head. “No promises.” He extended his hand for Jack. Jack took it, threaded his fingers with Gabe’s. 

And so they set out on an uncertain path, their masks and personas abandoned, the chasm bridged.

***  
_**~Changes~**_

The transition from vigilante and mercenary to domestic life was not easy. Particularly for Gabe. His condition relied on his taking lives to feed the nanites keeping his body together. This sent Gabe to Oasis to consult with Moira, whose position as Minister of Genetics spared her Overwatch’s justice for the time being. Jack still did not trust her, but he knew there was no one else who could help Gabe. 

Gabe’s relationship with Moira was less about friendship and more how one could best serve the other’s interests. Their association in Blackwatch and Talon didn’t change this. So when he arrived in Oasis with the intent to offer himself up to more experiments, Moira had smiled in that cool, dispassionate way of hers and invited him in. 

“You understand what you ask is not something easily granted,” Moira told him the first night. “Your nanites have evolved to feed on the energy of the living.”

Gabe, striding away from the room filled with the bodies of several unfortunate people- “Test subjects,” she’d said, and her eyes were as cold as ice- dropped his shotguns at her feet.

“Then you better find something else for them to feed on,” he said. 

The tests pushed Gabe’s endurance to limits that made his time in SEP seem heavenly by comparison. Those instances Gabe wasn’t in a lab or attached to a machine, he lay in bed, unable to sleep. Pain did not keep rest at bay. The hunger did. It gnawed at his vitals, made him irritable, irrational, dangerous. More than once, he tried to kill Moira. Came damn close to it, too.

Shortly after one of these attempts ended with him drained and immobile, Gabe became aware of another presence in his room. Already in such a weakened mental state, Gabe took to talking to it. Told it of his fears, his hopes. Sometimes, a small voice answered him. Echoed of the need to survive, to return to Jack. It kept Gabe centered. 

During this time, Jack took steps to reintegrate himself into society. He joined a program to help combat his alcoholism. There was also the odd job here and there for money. Necessity forced him to work under a false name, but he was already used to wearing masks. 

Ana kept in touch with him, updated him on Overwatch’s status and put him into contact with Angela if he needed her. Sombra also made her presence known in a variety of ways, notably in small windfalls in his account while he was between jobs. She seemed to delight in looking out for Jack, and often claimed it was on Gabe’s behalf. Either way, Jack appreciated her companionship. Opening himself up to relationships made him painfully aware of how solitary he’d become. And he missed Gabe with an ache that went bone deep. Every time he received messages from Sombra, he half expected to hear bad news. Anticipation of this left him in a state of constant anxiety.

Three times a week, Jack met Sombra at a local café. Though his mood of late had been anything but sociable, Jack kept up the appointments. Anything was better than sitting at Gabe’s old hideout alone with his thoughts.

Sombra, seated across from him absently stirring her coffee, gave a heavy sigh. “ _Ay dios mío_ , you’re too much. Why don’t you do something fun?” As she spoke, she reprogrammed the café menu to show a cartoon. It delighted the customers, while the barista hastily tried to figure out what happened. 

Jack pushed his plate aside. The sandwich had been more for show anyway. “Not the first time I’ve heard that,” he muttered.

“I bet,” she said, flicking her fingers and changing the menu yet again.

Jack cast her an impatient look. Sombra always reminded him of a cat at play. He was not in the mood to be batted around for her amusement. After laying down a few bills to cover his uneaten meal, he stood. At this, Sombra held up a hand.

“All right, _güero_. Here’s what we’re going to do: I’m taking you to one of my favorite places here. You’re going to laugh even if we have to stay there all night. Unless,” she said, giving a casual shrug. “You’d rather stand in front of that liquor store down the street.”

The truth forced Jack to avert his eyes. His doing that was a hard, internal struggle in which his determination to stay sober for himself, for Gabe, clashed with haunting thoughts of, _Gabe might be dead. Why not dull the pain again?_

Jack released a long sigh. “What kind of place?”

Sombra grinned. “You’re going to love it.”

While Jack honestly had no idea what Sombra planned, the last thing he expected was for her to take him to an old arcade. Sombra entered the place like a queen, waving and smiling at the workers and engaging in witty banter. Jack, in the meantime, stared at his surroundings with more than a little awe. He hadn’t been in an arcade since he was a boy escaping the tedious hours of farm work. When his roaming gaze drifted to a familiar setup, genuine excitement uncurled within him.

Sombra, having just joined him with fountain drinks in each hand, noted his smile and gave a smug grin. “Told you.”

They played skee ball for hours. It was the most fun Jack had in a long, long time. But when Jack’s comment about needing to challenge Gabe to a round chased the smile from his face, Sombra slid off the top of the machine she’d perched on and gave him a little shove.

“Hey. Remember what Gabe likes to say. ‘That which does not kill me, makes me stronger,’ or something like that.” She gave an exasperated sigh. “I wonder if he hears himself sometimes.”

Jack smiled faintly as collected the latest batch of tickets he’d won and handed them to Sombra. “He never says what he doesn’t mean.” 

“And he told you he’d come back, right?” Sombra’s eyes gleamed with the satisfaction of knowledge.  
At this, Jack nodded. Yes, Gabe certainly did. 

They left shortly after one AM, Sombra’s arms overflowing with stuffed animals. Jack declined her offer to drive him home. Instead, he took the route leading past the liquor store. When he stood before it this time, he felt revitalized. He’d had too much go wrong in his life to relapse now.

Jack was eight months sober by the time Gabe returned, a bit worn and tired but in possession of injections designed to sustain his nanites. Their embrace had been long and silent, though emotions raged within both. Having Gabe back in his arms, back in his _life_ , was everything to Jack. For Gabe, coming back to Jack was like returning home. It was something he never thought to feel. When they emerged from the bed a few days later, sated and sore, Gabe asked Jack to move in with him. Jack, having been without him for too long already, did not hesitate to say yes.

The modest, two-bedroom house they bought was in a quiet neighborhood a few miles from a forest reservation. It presented the perfect environment for two old soldiers in search of peace.

Gabe claimed the second bedroom as his own, stating the need for space for his projects. Jack, recalling Gabe’s fondness for making costumes, didn’t protest. The backyard became his personal playground, allowing him to indulge in two of his favorite pastimes: grilling and golfing. Gabe griped at Jack over his clear love for ‘typical old white guy shit,’ but he was the first to buy Jack new clubs and steaks for grilling now that Moira’s injections enabled him to eat regular food. Between these outdoor meals, romantic outings, time at the gym, the store, and hours at the arcade engaged in friendly skee ball competitions or during one on one basketball games, Jack and Gabe lived the kind of life they only ever talked about during their careers. And neither foresaw how it’d change yet again.

***  
_**~Completion~**_

A year after they moved in together, Jack woke one morning to the sound of Gabe softly murmuring. Rolling over onto his side, Jack found Gabe seated in the chair by the window, what looked to be his hoodie bundled in his arms. A small, round head moved just beneath the folds. At first, Jack believed Gabe held an owlet. A family of barn owls nested near their property, much to Gabe’s delight. Perhaps he found the baby during the night. Gabe had been experiencing a lot of insomnia lately. 

“About time you got up,” Gabe said. 

Jack rose to his feet, grimacing slightly at the twinge in his lower back. He was not a young man anymore. “Is that one of the owlets?” he asked as he joined Gabe.

“No. Something else.”

“Something else?” Jack repeated.

“Yeah.” There was soft wonder in Gabe’s voice now. He stared at the bundle in his arms, seemingly confused with what he saw while also assured of it. “I was on my way in from my jog when I felt something in my hood. I…I think he was with me in Oasis.”

Jack cast him a curious look. “What do you mean?” 

Just then, the bundle in Gabe’s arms shifted, and a small, white face emerged from the folds. It looked like a simplified version of Gabe’s Reaper mask. Jack stared, astonished, as the small creature wriggled and chirped in an excited way. At the same instant, the chirping formed a word: “Jack!”

The little voice, distinctly human, nearly floored Jack. He had to rub his eyes. Question whether the coffee he had late last night was messing with his mind. Gabe’s seeming nonchalance over the whole matter didn’t help.

“Jack!” the little voice said again. “Jack?” 

Gabe sent him an impatient look. “Answer him before he starts crying. He’s not the strangest thing you’ve seen in your life and you know it.”

Jack didn’t argue this truth. For as he studied the creature with its imitation death mask, something inside him responded to the innocent plea.

Jack leaned over to peer at the bundle. “Hello,” Jack said softly. He received an excited chirp in response, followed by a pair of tiny arms stretching out for him. The next thing Jack knew, Gabe handed the bundle over.

There was a breathless moment where Jack gazed into the little face, and the little face stared back. Then it snuggled close. 

“Jack,” came the satisfied murmur.

The absolute trust behind the gesture won Jack over. He held out his finger. Laughed lightly when it- he- nibbled at him like a bird. Jack then looked into Gabe’s eyes. Gabe, his features scarred by years’ worth of pain and regeneration, gazed at him with such open warmth. Jack found himself no longer caring where the little one came from. Only that he was here.

Despite their ready acceptance of this new, unexpected addition to their home, Gabe agreed to an examination. This led to a return trip to Oasis. Jack accompanied them this time, for he was more than a little protective of Gabe and what appeared to be a child.

“It’s a colony of nanites completely separate from you,” Moira said after the examination concluded. There was an almost delightful gleam in her eye, one that brought a frown to Jack’s face. “It seems those injections, coupled with your current lifestyle, had an unexpected side effect. Most curious. Perhaps a few more tests…”

But Gabe already swaddled the little one and had him in his arms. “You want my nanites? Here.” He offered his arm. “Run all the tests you want on them. But you leave him alone. Got it?” Gabe’s expression was stern.

Moira ‘hmphed’, but she took some skin and blood samples. “I’ll be in touch.”

They boarded the ship Sombra had secured for them. As Oasis receded into the distance, Jack turned to Gabe, who cradled his little nanites close to him. Seeing him being so attentive softened Jack’s expression. The realization they were pseudo-parents made him as eager and terrified as the first time he went into battle. 

“So, he was really with you?” 

Gabe bowed his head. “Thought I was going crazy. But I just started talking to him. Helped me a lot. I had no idea he’d come back.”

Jack reached out to touch the little one’s head. He rubbed against Jack’s hand like a cat. He was glad Gabe hadn’t been alone during such a difficult time. “What should we name him?” 

Gabe appeared thoughtful. “Why don’t we ask?”

They spent the remainder of the flight suggesting different names. The only one he responded to with any positivity was ‘Bean’, muttered by Gabe due to his shape, and Bean he became. 

Bean chirped and chittered like a bird but had the intelligence of a young child. His vocabulary consisted of only two words: ‘Jack’ and ‘Die.’ When Jack asked where he learned them, Gabe’s answer sobered him.

“From me,” he murmured, and the shadows in Gabe’s eyes prompted Jack to take his hand. He knew better than to make Gabe revisit those harrowing months.

Bean was equal parts a handful and the best thing to happen to the two, world-weary soldiers. As he was composed of Gabe’s nanites, Bean smoked in and out at random, often leaving his parents frantically searching for him. He didn’t like stairs and cried at the landing until one of them carried him upstairs. He liked to sleep in Gabe’s hoodies, sit on Jack’s lap whenever he read books or news bulletins, play in the loose scraps on the floor in Gabe’s crafting room, and chase after golf balls while Jack worked on his swing. Bean’s overjoyed chirp at coming across Gabe’s Reaper mask led Gabe to donning the black coat and Kevlar body armor. Though Jack delighted in seeing Bean’s reaction to the Reaper outfit, it left him with mixed feelings.

“It was strange seeing you like that again,” Jack said that night as they lay in each other’s arms. Bean slept peacefully on a pillow of his own, just behind Gabe’s head. “I kept thinking how we’re one bad day away from those identities.”

Gabe said nothing for a few moments. Truthfully, it felt just as odd for him. Reaper the Talon agent seemed a distant memory now, though only a year separated Gabe from the persona. “Reaper was necessary for me to survive, Jack. Just like Soldier 76 was for you. Not very original, you know.”

“Never claimed to be original,” Jack replied, turning so he pressed closer to Gabe. While lovemaking was limited with Bean in bed with them, Jack enjoyed touching Gabe in any way he could. “I had a mission. That was it.”

Gabe’s hand danced along the curve of Jack’s spine. “The past is the past,” he murmured. “Now is the only thing that matters.” 

Bean whispered Jack’s name in a sleepy murmur. Jack smiled softly at him. Gabe was right. 

Months passed. Bean thrived, enjoying backyard BBQs with his parents and trying to sing to the music playing from their portable radio. As the weather turned steamy, Jack purchased a small wading pool for Bean to play in. Bean proved too terrified to go in on his own, so Jack or Gabe- usually Gabe since Jack worked the grill- would climb in with Bean. It made for a hysterical sight, Gabe all arms and legs dangling from the sides, while Bean splashed happily about. This preference didn’t extend to the bathtub. 

Bean also demonstrated a unique sensitivity to Gabe’s moods. Sometimes, if Gabe was upset over something and tried to play it off, Bean became Jack’s indicator. This proved beneficial in anticipating pain days. Those times, Jack sat in bed with Gabe curled up to one side and Bean on the other. Sometimes he’d read out loud for them both, silly stories for Bean, reciting recipes or new patterns for Gabe. Other times, he’d turn on a movie, but usually ended up dozing off instead of watching. 

“Old man,” Gabe would mutter after nudging Jack awake and cutting him off mid-snore. 

During those bad nights Jack woke in a cold sweat, starting at shadows and mundane noises made monstrous by memory, Bean was there, acting as a gauge for Gabe’s concern. He’d cuddle and press kisses to Jack’s cheeks, often refusing to dislodge himself when Gabe wanted to hold Jack. Jack’s amusement at the absurdity of Gabe demonstrating jealousy over his own nanites led to even tighter hugs.

By now Bean was nearly three times his size, walking about on his own versus being carried by a parent. Jack knocked down a wall to build Bean his own room, and though Bean enjoyed having space of his own, he sometimes bedded down with his parents. Jack and Gabe, giving each other rueful looks over another night without some quality intimate time, settled in to sleep.

One day, Jack noticed Bean’s interest in watching people increased. The community they lived in always featured new faces, but reluctance to open their home to others prevented Jack and Gabe from exposing Bean to potential playmates. At home, neither cared he was a collection of independent nanites. Others may not perceive him the same way. 

“Is it possible to…well, make more?” Jack asked after another night passed where Bean spent most of his time watching a neighbor’s birthday party. “I think Bean wants friends.” 

“I don’t really know how I made him,” Gabe sighed. “I’m not about to let Moira try cloning him, either.”

Jack didn’t like the idea of subjecting Bean to Moira’s experiments, either. The long term ‘benefits’ for Gabe had changed his physiology so much, some days he didn’t consider himself human. “Ana told me Winston set up another specialized project within Overwatch. It’s not just for genetically engineered animals now,” Jack said, and Gabe frowned. “I know, the last thing you want to do is expose Bean to more scientists.”

“Damn right it is,” Gabe grumbled. “Scientists haven’t exactly done either of us favors.”

Jack fell silent, remembering those grueling days in SEP with the same clarity as if they happened hours ago. “Still, I can make a few calls,” he said at last. “We should be able to do something for him.”

A moment passed before Gabe sighed. “It should be us, Jack. Not some scientist.”

Over the next few weeks, Gabe instructed Bean on better controlling his ability to smoke in and out of rooms. Soon Bean was flitting about the house like a black shadow. He also proved an enthusiastic student during more basic lessons. His vocabulary did not go beyond the few words he knew, but this inability to communicate didn’t impede his progress. His parents knew Bean’s intent through pitch. Yet Jack knew they were not equipped to meet the educational needs of a growing mind. After spending another two days wrangling with Gabe over the issue, Jack put in an inquiry with Ana. 

Ana delivered the good news a few nights before Halloween. Jack went into Gabe’s crafting room, pausing to watch Gabe fit Bean into a little Dracula costume of his own.

“There. Now you and Papi are the same,” Gabe said, smiling in that ridiculously handsome way as Bean squeaked, “Papi!” “All we have to do is convince Jack to ditch that stupid getup of his so he can match us, too.”

“Hey, I like that costume,” Jack said, walking into the room and smiling as Bean toddled over to him. He scooped him up into his arms, laughing softly when Bean made to suck his blood. 

Gabe rose to his feet and smirked. Standing there with measuring tape draped over his shoulder and sample material strewn everywhere, Jack thought Gabe looked right at home. No battlefield suited Gabe better.

“At least let me give you a cape. All good vampires have capes, Jack, not leather jackets.”

Jack chuckled. “Okay, fine, you can give me a cape.”

“And a dress shirt?” Gabe looked hopeful.

Jack couldn’t deny Gabe when he looked at him like that. “All right. Anything else you want to do?”

Gabe closed the distance between them, placed his hands behind Jack’s head, and pulled him in for a kiss. At least, he would have, if Bean didn’t get between them.

“Hey,” Gabe grumbled as Bean snuggled against Jack’s chin. “Let Papi kiss Jack.”

“Jack.” Bean pressed himself closer, clearly not interested in doing as Gabe asked.

At seeing the spark of challenge in Gabe’s eyes, Jack first kissed Bean’s head, then kissed Gabe. The act took the frown from Gabe’s face. They pressed their foreheads together, hands seeking and finding the other between them. Bean alternated between nuzzling both, chittering in a soft, happy way.

“I have some good news,” Jack said, smiling as Gabe muttered about him ruining the moment. He kissed Gabe again, the promise to pick up where they left off after Bean went to bed translated in the way Jack squeezed Gabe’s hand before he released him. “Ana got back to me. They have an educational program in place where teachers volunteer for classes, not scientists. She asked if we would like to enroll Bean.”

At this, Bean squirmed excitedly in Jack’s arms. Jack tickled under his chin, chuckling softly at Bean’s chirp. “You like the sound of that?” he asked, though his gaze drifted to Gabe.

Gabe’s smile echoed of both his happiness for Bean and a little regret at not being the one to teach him. Jack recalled all those nights Gabe complained about his team, yet there was gruff affection, too. He delighted in teaching others. Well, except for the time Gabe struggled to show Jack how to shoot without aim assistance. Jack wondered, not for the first time, if the only reason he survived all those scrapes was because Gabe was there.

“Looks like that’s a yes,” Gabe said, running his hand over Bean’s head. “When can he start?”

“Next Wednesday. It’s after Halloween,” Jack said, laughing slightly at the gleam in Gabe’s eye. “We can still go trick or treating.”

“Good, because I’m about to make your shirt and cape and Bean is going to help. Aren’t you?” Gabe asked, and Bean responded with an excited chirp.

Gabe’s determination to turn Jack out in what he described as ‘the best fucking vampire getup,’ resulted in him passing out at his sewing table, Bean nestled in a pile of material at his feet. Jack, who had come in to cover Gabe with a blanket, stopped when Gabe grabbed his wrist and sleepily demanded Jack stay. They slept on the floor together, arms and legs tangled and a single blanket between them. Jack woke up the next morning stiff and sore, but he didn’t have it in him to be upset. Not when Gabe appeared so delightfully disheveled. 

In the end, Gabe’s hard work paid off. When Jack tried on his costume for the first time, Gabe embraced him from behind and whispered, “For an old man, you make one sexy vampire. Keep it on tonight,” a shudder of excitement raced down Jack’s spine. 

Bean was beyond thrilled to finally wander the neighborhood. Many of the other children took his appearance as a particularly elaborate costume, so they interacted with him like any other. Neighbors approached Jack and Gabe, too, complimenting them on their outfits (which went right to Gabe’s head) and asking for costume tips. Then, after the hours of trick or treating wore Bean out and he fell asleep in their bed clutching his bag of candy, Gabe pulled Jack into his craft room, a mischievous smile on his lips. When Jack woke on the floor this time, he was sore for all the right reasons.

With Bean’s first Halloween a success, he was even more excited to go to school. His parents, however, had mixed feelings. As they bedded down the night before, Gabe folded himself to Jack’s chest. Jack held him close, said nothing. He knew what was going through Gabe’s mind. 

But then Gabe stirred. “First one who cries has to do all the housework for a week.”

Jack laughed sleepily. “You’re on.”

That morning, Bean woke before sunrise. He shook his parents in turn, chirping excitedly. Gabe, who preferred lengthy mornings in bed, resisted when Jack tried to move. 

“Come on, Gabe,” Jack murmured, leaning over to brush his lips along Gabe’s cheek. “You’ll be back in bed crying in no time.”

Gabe’s eye flew open. Jack smiled at the seriousness in Gabe’s look and slid out from beneath the covers.

Jack made breakfast while Gabe readied Bean. He chittered with happiness all throughout his bath, breakfast, and when the time came to be fit into his backpack. Gabe took the paper bag containing Bean’s lunch and turned away. When he handed it to Bean, who darted past Jack for the front door, Jack noticed the large heart positioned above Bean’s handwritten name. He sent Gabe an amused glance. 

Gabe scowled. “What? Bean likes hearts.”

“Uh huh.” Jack grinned.

After pausing to take a group photo (Jack’s first attempt was so bad, Gabe accused him of being blind and snapped it himself), Bean raced out the front door, backpack rustling and attached house key catching the light. Gabe and Jack followed a little further behind, hands clasped.

“I was never that excited to go to school,” Gabe commented.

“I was more excited to leave,” Jack replied. “Never liked sitting in class for too long. I prefer being physical.”

Gabe leaned in to gently nip at Jack’s ear. “I hope you’re ready to be physical later then,” he said, a world of promise in his voice. Little chills of excitement went down Jack’s spine. But Jack couldn’t keep from poking fun at the man he loved.

“I’ll be ready once you’re done crying,” Jack said, and received a pinch on his ass for his trouble.

“Only crying I’ll be hearing is from you.”

Jack answered by slipping his hand into Gabe’s back pocket. He smiled at the way Gabe struggled not to react to Jack’s fingers pressing into the meat of his ass. “Whatever you say,” he drawled. 

Bean’s excited chirps cut off Gabe’s reply. It didn’t stop him from shooting Jack a look that promised payback before he turned his attention to Bean. 

The bus pulled up to the curb, doors opening to reveal an omnic driver. Bean spun around to hug his parents’ legs, then hurried for the bus. The steps brought him to a halt. Jack and Gabe both held their breath, ready to spring into action. But Bean hopped onto the bottom step, the next, and the next. Jack heard as much as felt Gabe’s relieved sigh. 

Bean scurried inside. A moment later, he appeared in the window. “Jack! Papi!” he called, waving his little arm so fast, it looked like a black blur. 

His parents waved back, smiling as the bus pulled away. They watched until the bus turned the corner. Then Jack met Gabe’s gaze. Gabe’s eyes glistened with tears. Jack couldn’t call Gabe out on his reaction. Not when tears spilled down his cheeks.  
Jack wiped at his eyes. “Looks like we both were wrong.”

Gabe pulled Jack into his arms, buried his face into his neck. “Jackass,” he grumbled, and Jack laughed low in his throat. 

They went inside, where they cried their eyes out before falling into bed for some much needed intimate time.

When Bean returned home bubbling over with happiness at his experience, Jack and Gabe thought about what led them to this moment, and abruptly realized there was only one thing left to make this new life truly complete. Jack expected Gabe to be emotional when he asked him to marry him, but it was Jack who cried when Gabe said yes.

A few months later, they stood hand in hand in front of an official. Witnesses included Ana and Sombra. Bean was there too, holding the pillow topped by gold and platinum rings. The proud fathers gazed at Bean, then one another, love and hope reflected in their eyes. Neither seemed able to process how this was happening. Talk of domestic tranquility had been relegated to foxholes and moments between meetings. Thoughts of it had been all but obliterated during the long years apart. 

That night, while Ana took charge of Bean to allow the newlyweds some private time, Jack lay in bed watching Gabe prep one of his injections. His thoughtful expression drew Jack’s curiosity.

“Something on your mind?” Jack asked softly.

Gabe set the needle down for the moment, his gaze distant. “Did you ever think we’d get here?”

“Honestly?” Jack said, and Gabe glanced at him. “No. Between the Crisis and the risks involved with Overwatch, then Zurich…” Jack shook his head. Emotion flashed in Gabe’s eyes. Zurich had been one of those topics they still danced around. Hindsight wasn’t always 20/20, Jack learned. “I expected to die at any time. We were soldiers. Even when I was chained to a desk, I was still a soldier.”

Gabe bowed his head. “But you wouldn’t have died for any cause. You’d die for the damn rule book.” He spoke in low tones. “I hated it when you’d cite regulation to me, Jack.”

Jack reached for Gabe’s hand. The platinum ring he slipped around Gabe’s finger that afternoon felt smooth against his skin. “I know you did,” Jack murmured. The times they fought over such things was in the past. “I removed myself from the equation with every decision I made. You never lost sight of yourself. Always admired that about you, Gabe.”

Gabe smiled faintly as he stroked Jack’s fingers with gentle touches. “Took you long enough to realize that,” he grumbled good-naturedly. “Better late than never, I suppose.”

“Then I ‘suppose’ you’re happy we got married today?”

The face Gabe turned to Jack was as serious as he’d ever seen. “I wanted you in my life from the start. I know it’s a fucking miracle we’re here right now. I don’t intend on wasting any more time.”

A rush of warmth flooded Jack’s chest. He smiled as he sat up to embrace his husband. Pressed his lips to the back of Gabe’s neck. “Then let’s not,” he murmured against Gabe’s skin. “Let’s make this night the best one yet.”

Gabe’s answer was a low purr of approval. “That’s the most romantic comment I’ve heard from you,” he said, turning his head to allow Jack to trail his lips along his cheek. “And here I thought you were a lost cause, old man.”

“Well, Reyes,” Jack said, arms slipping around Gabe’s chest, hands caressing his husband’s pecs. “You’re not always one step ahead of me.”

Gabe’s eyes fluttered closed at the attention Jack paid him. “Mm. First time for everything. Reyes.” He added with a smile.

Jack’s chuckle was a low rumble against Gabe’s back. “That’s right. Now shut up and get in bed. We have some catching up to do.” 

Gabe turned toward Jack, and their lips brushed together. The smile in his voice was evident as he breathed, “Then get to it, soldier.”

Jack knew an order when he heard it.


End file.
